Houston dance festival is a celebration of Punjabi culture

By Jasbir Sethi

Updated 7:24 pm, Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Punjab, which translates in English as "the land of the five rivers," is situated in the northwest corner of the Indian subcontinent. The region is home to the world's oldest civilization, the Indus Valley civilization, and was the world's first "melting pot."

First the Aryans came, then the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great. They were followed over the centuries by groups of many ethnicities from Central Asia and the Middle East.

Most recently, the British came to Punjab, and left an indelible mark on the people and the land.

Punjabi culture is thus a beautiful, homogeneous amalgamation of the many cultures that settled there. Fertile land was the attraction for most of the migrants to Punjab, and the people place a high value on hard work, self-confidence, love and respect for nature - the mother Earth that gives abundantly. This abundance gave another dimension to Punjabi character: the importance of sharing with one and all with love, respect, equality and dignity.

Vaisakhi is the most representative festival of Punjab, and it incorporates these positive Punjabi traits. Vaisakhi marks the new year.

The festival is an expression of exuberance over the bounties of nature; the wheat crop has been gathered, so it is time for a grand celebration of thanksgiving. Vaisakhi also represents the attainment of humanity's eternal quest for the ideal man, as epitomized in the order of the Khalsa, which was created on Vaisakhi in 1699.

Punjabis celebrate Vaisakhi globally as a dance festival. The most popular Punjabi dances are Gidha and the legendary Bhangra. Gidha features soft, soothing music with graceful rhythmic movements, as if the wheat crop at its bloom is swaying and dancing in the soft breeze, which nature provides for sifting the grain.

Bhangra is a more vigorous dance, accompanied by drum beats and vibrant motions that culminate in a crescendo of creative energy. The colorful costumes reflect the spirit of the Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors.

The society would like to invite one and all who want to experience an evening of world class amalgam of cultures to attend.

You may find that you are pulled to extemporaneously join in Bhangra with the dancing groups from the University of Houston, the University of Texas, the University of Dallas and the many other celebrants.

Sethi, a Houstonian since 1972, is a founding member of the Sikh Center, Houston.